Job requirements compared to medical school education: differences between graduates from problem-based learning and conventional curricula

Background: Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been suggested as a key educational method of knowledge acquisition to improve medical education. We sought to evaluate the differences in medical school education between graduates from PBL-based and conventional curricula and to what extent these curricula fit job requirements. Methods: Graduates from all German medical schools who graduated between 1996 and 2002 were eligible for this study. Graduates self-assessed nine competencies as required at their day-to-day work and as taught in medical school on a 6-point Likert scale. Results were compared between graduates from a PBL-based curriculum (University Witten/Herdecke) and conventional curricula. Results: Three schools were excluded because of low response rates. Baseline demographics between graduates of the PBL-based curriculum (n = 101, 49% female) and the conventional curricula (n = 4720, 49% female) were similar. No major differences were observed regarding job requirements with priorities for "Independent learning/working" and "Practical medical skills". All competencies were rated to be better taught in PBL-based curriculum compared to the conventional curricula (all p < 0.001), except for "Medical knowledge" and "Research competence". Comparing competencies required at work and taught in medical school, PBL was associated with benefits in "Interdisciplinary thinking" (Δ + 0.88), "Independent learning/working" (Δ + 0.57), "Psycho-social competence" (Δ + 0.56), "Teamwork" (Δ + 0.39) and "Problem-solving skills" (Δ + 0.36), whereas "Research competence" (Δ - 1.23) and "Business competence" (Δ - 1.44) in the PBL-based curriculum needed improvement. Conclusion: Among medical graduates in Germany, PBL demonstrated benefits with regard to competencies which were highly required in the job of physicians. Research and business competence deserve closer attention in future curricular development

Job requirements compared to medical school education: differences between graduates from problem-based learning and conventional curricula

Abstract Background Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been suggested as a key educational method of knowledge acquisition to improve medical education. We sought to evaluate the differences in medical school education between graduates from PBL-based and conventional curricula and to what extent these curricula fit job requirements. Methods Graduates from all German medical schools who graduated between 1996 and 2002 were eligible for this study. Graduates self-assessed nine competencies as required at their day-to-day work and as taught in medical school on a 6-point Likert scale. Results were compared between graduates from a PBL-based curriculum (University Witten/Herdecke) and conventional curricula. Results Three schools were excluded because of low response rates. Baseline demographics between graduates of the PBL-based curriculum (n = 101, 49% female) and the conventional curricula (n = 4720, 49% female) were similar. No major differences were observed regarding job requirements with priorities for "Independent learning/working" and "Practical medical skills". All competencies were rated to be better taught in PBL-based curriculum compared to the conventional curricula (all p Conclusion Among medical graduates in Germany, PBL demonstrated benefits with regard to competencies which were highly required in the job of physicians. Research and business competence deserve closer attention in future curricular development.</p

Pharyngeal Selective Brain Cooling Is Associated with Reduced CNS Cortical Lesion after Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is still being explored as a therapeutic option after traumatic brain injury (TBI) but clinical data has not supported its efficacy. Experimental approaches were promising, but clinical data did not support its efficacy in the treatment of TBI. A novel approach of pharyngeal selective brain cooling (pSBC), recently introduced by our group, has been accompanied by superior neurofunctional, sensorimotor, and cognitive outcomes. This work is now extended by data on histomorphological and physical outcomes after pSBC in a model of experimental TBI. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to lateral fluid-percussion (LFP) brain injury, and randomized to the following experimental groups: (1) TBI with pSBC, (2) TBI without pSBC, and (3) sham animals. On day post-injury (DPI) 14, the animals were sacrificed and their brains were harvested for immunohistochemistry using the following antibodies: (1) glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), (2) neurofilament (NF), and (3) synaptophysin (SY). In pSBC animals brain temperature was selectively lowered to 33 +/- 0.5 degrees C within 15 min post-injury, and maintained for 180 min after induction, while keeping rectal temperatures at physiological levels. Animals that had undergone pSBC showed a significantly faster recovery of body weight starting on DPI 3, and had gained substantially more weight than TBI-only animals on DPI 14 (p<0.001), indicating superior physical recovery. Areas of cortical damage were significantly smaller in pSBC animals compared to TBI-only animals (p<0.01). pSBC was associated with preservation of cortical tissue ipsilateral to the lesion, and superior physical recovery after experimental TBI. These results complement earlier reports in which pSBC was associated with superior neurofunctional and cognitive outcomes using the same experimental model